The nation’s anti-corruption body is trying to raid the presidential residence and the presidential office to look for materials on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law bid.
 
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials(CIO) said it sent investigators to the two locations at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday but investigators have yet to enter the venues, with the Presidential Security Service refusing to approve the execution of the search warrants.  

The CIO is aiming to secure documents and meeting minutes related to the martial law bid, as well as the servers of the president’s secure phone and the personal computer in the presidential office. 

Investigators may not be able to conduct the raids if the president’s security detail continues to refuse. 

In particular, it is uncertain whether the CIO and the secret service agency will be able to work out an agreement on the raid, as acting secret service chief Kim Sung-hoon is answering questions on Wednesday before a special parliamentary committee formed to shed light on the martial law incident. 

At the committee hearing, Kim said he will make a decision in line with the law when committee chief and main opposition Democratic Party Rep. Ahn Gyu-back asked him to approve the CIO’s raids. 

Kim added that his agency is responsible for guarding not only the president but also the first lady.